The Opposition I.N.D.I.A combine knew Prime Minister Narendra Modi will strike. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge staying away from the show was 'deliberate' and more than just the security issues and eye ailment of the aging leader.
But they did not expect that Modi will make the onslaught thematic. Modi's use of phrases and words to identity three principal socio-political ailments Corruption, Dynastic rule and Appeasement were well thought of and well delivered.
The parties at the receiving end on the charge of family-rule are Congress, DMK, Samajwadi and Trinamool Congress. That way Modi has struck at the 'four strong pillars' of the Opposition alliance and incidentally in four corners of the country.
Ardent Modi fans know the 'power' of DMK in the southern state of Tamil Nadu where the advantage is never with the saffron party. In the east Mamata Banerjee may be a single, but her push to Bhaipo/nephew as her successor is well known. For two others the Samajwadi and the Congress the influence of 'family' power is more than a well known phenomenon.
The Prime Minister posed a question before the nation that will go to the polls in less than 10 months how it was possible in a democracy that 'one family' leads a party -- an obvious reference Congress and three others.
"Their mantra is 'party of the family, by the family and for the family.' This will remain the theme of BJP's election campaign. The Congress has governed independent India for about 60 years directly for five decades and by proxy extending coalition for the remaining period.
The Congress has been 'led' by the Nehru-Gandhi family for decades and even when likes of Sitaram Kesri and Manmohan Singh were at the helm, the remote control was with the family. Manmohan Singh was subjected to intense humiliation when an Ordinance by his government was thrown into pieces by the prized crown prince ! Sitaram Kesri was toppled in a 'palace' coup ! For DMK, the present chief M K Stalin and for Samajwadi Party, Akhilesh Yadav was 'generals' in respective parties just because of hereditary consideration.
This menace is with smaller parties such as National Conference as well. In other words, Modi has left these parties leaking their wounds. In Maharashtra, 'family theme' goes against Uddhav Thackeray.
Follow Modi's speeches minutely both in Lok Sabha on Aug 10 and from the ramparts of Red Fort on Aug 15 (auspicious occasion of Independence Day), Modi has made it clear who will be his targets.
Among all the 26 Opposition parties, he has decided to take on Congress for its significant national presence despite being out of power for last nine years. In Congress, he will target the 'family' and of course in the family, the real punching bag will be Rahul Gandhi.
The Opposition parties were not prepared to handle Modi in Lok Sabha and they were not prepared to deal with him post-Independent speech as well. Most reactions were on expected lines. Only Congress leader Shashi Tharoor cleverly tried to put up an argument that the Prime Minister did not speak on issues like stagnancy in salaries and unemployment and also that Modi will not decide whom the voters will vote for in 2024.
On the other hand, Congress president Malikarjun Kharge made a poor argument and present pretty excuses from eye problem to security protocol. The fact of the matter is Congress broke a convention by not attending such an important function.
There are dynastic issues in other states like Bihar as well where the 'RJD family power' is more influencing force driving Nitish Kumar's ambitions. But for these states and parties, Modi and BJP will more than a rule use the Corruption bogey.
The Prime Minister made a crucial appeal that the country has to resolve to not to tolerate corruption in any form. This is a huge task and PM might not have achieved 100 percent outcome in the last nine years and Opposition may say he is very selective; the fact of the matter is common people are fed up with menace and want this to be eradicated from their life.
There is an overwhelming size of stakeholders among voters who want the fungus of corruption to vanish for ever. Corruption is the biggest problem with parties such as Congress, Trinamool Congress, RJD, DMK and even National Conference; and on the contrary Rahul Gandhi's repeated noise about Anil Ambani or Gautam Adani did not convince many Indians that Modi is personally corrupt.
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